In light of the exposure of PG’s plan to bring retired players back to the game and regardless of how players feel about their methods, it’s needed, I felt an urge to remind PG that customer retention belongs at the top of any customer revival plan, not the bottom.

Loyalty programs work, they are a well established method of keeping customers happy and driving additional revenue… happy customers spend.

To that end I felt a need to discuss how businesses and particularly PG should reward their active player base and encourage spending.

My suggestions would be:

A daily log in reward that has actual value… the outdated “gifts” available in the Bounty Harbour are more work to collect than a reward. Use this reward system for distributing goods that players are expressing the greatest need for, most recently elemental embers… PG needs to keep their finger on the pulse of what will make players happy and giving them some of what they need the most is one way. It doesn’t have to be exorbitant but enough that a player actually takes time to see what they got and it should bring a smile to their face. Increase the value as the season progresses (restart each season) and distribute it in a way that says “we are happy you logged in today”.

A reward for time/money spent in the game. Players shouldn’t get “free swag” because they exist, they should be rewarded for their loyalty, time, money and commitment to the game. To me this can be measured by a players progression in the season rewards.

The goal is to reward players and to encourage further participation, whether that’s time or money.

Give players 10% of the sigils they spent on season lines in the current season as a reward to start the next season.

This accomplishes a few things:

Players feel valued, which is severely needed

Players are encouraged to do better right now so they can earn something later, this means they will be around later to collect… it would encouraging participation in season events, spending on targets just out of reach this season (they get their reward now and a little extra something to keep them playing in the future) and sets them up better for the following season where they see value in playing and spending to reach even further goals.

Self perpetuating, the better you do the more you get, the more you are encouraged to do better next time

Happier customers

Keep in mind the idea behind a loyalty program is to retain players and encourage spending… what would your rewards program look like?

Edit:

Milestone Rewards - Terrific idea, had to add it!

As both LuckyDucky6952 and BAshtonXxX point out this reward would be geared for personal achievements, be it level, tier or anniversary.

This is a good start. One thing that Warframe has done that is really successful is give daily rewards combined with “milestone” rewards. It’s an increasingly significant reward (of actual value, not like 60 ruby garbage) that starts at 7 days playing, then 14, 30, 60, 90, 180, etc…by the time you hit your one year Anniversary you’re probably pretty high up, and the reward is juicy. This would be easy to implement and makes you want to keep coming back and earning those rewards because they mean something.
-LadyGroot

Personally, I would like to see the level up rewards come back to some degree. Hit level 300? Here’s a congratulations package. Bred your first Harbinger? Here’s some swag. I would also like to see other little things, such as a cool portrait for playing milestones, such as 6 months, 1 year, 2 year, etc. Or some sort of title based on longevity or achievement.

My loyalty program would be much different then the one PG has modeled theirs after. Their’s is like a seedy gentleman’s club. Sure, you can hang out in the back and just watch for free, but then you are a nobody. And most likely you’ll have to fight the urge to spend when you see everyone else apparently having a grand time, but in reality getting fleeced by the product and having a few overpriced drinks. You can go in the front and have a few beers, but everyone knows where the real fun is and eventually you will either run out of money or get conned into a few dances. If you spend enough, then you can go up to the VIP area and look down at all the bums below you. You’ll get conned into spending more money and eventually you will either run out of money or get tired of being there and leave. But the club will bring in new dancers to get you excited again so you stick around. But at the end of the night, everyone that spent something leaves the club and thinks to themselves “what did I just do?”

The ultimate reward for loyalty would be them using all the money we send them to actually make a better game.

Instead they chase everyone away by making is money focused then try to buy us back when we do leave. They need to make a game that naturally keeps people playing, and this game has the basics to do that.

Yes, hitting a major milestone giving a generous level up reward would be a nice way, because then it’d reward actual activity too vs someone who just logs in daily and does/contributes nothing, just exists.

i dont think the community would be nearly as outraged (still outraged, but less so) with them “buying back” old players if we thought we were treated fairly to begin with. But we are all so desperate for those items which cost us SOOOO much it is an insult when they just start giving it away.